Many infants have abnormal head shape, referred to as positional plagiocephaly, which may be caused by a variety of factors, such as birth trauma, premature birth, sleeping position, torticollis, cervical anomalies, lack of full bone mineralization, and the like. Such non-synostotic positional deformations must be treated to avoid potential undesirable effects to facial expressions and skull or cranial vault growth. Ripley et al, in “Treatment of Positional Plagiocephaly Utilizing the Cranial Remodeling Orthosis [Dynamic Orthotic Cranioplasty (DOC)],” Proceedings of the 5th International Congress of the International Society of Craniofacial Surgery, pp: 111-114 (1994), proposed a dynamic orthotic cranioplasty to treat the positional plagiocephaly. With the Ripley device, the head shape of the subject infant patient is first modeled. A helmet is then manufactured based on the head model, the helmet being configured to remodel the infant's head to the desired shape. During the treatment time, the helmet is periodically trimmed by trained specialists according to the progressive changes in the head's shape. FIGS. 1a-c illustrate the effect on an exemplary infant patient before and after the treatment. An example of a company that provides such helmets is Cranial Technologies, of Tempe, Ariz. In FIG. 1a, the infant patient's head can be seen to have the asymmetric geometry that is symptomatic of positional plagiocephaly. FIG. 1b shows the patient with a typical helmet designed to reshape the infant's head. FIG. 1c shows the same patient subsequent to treatment, in which it can be seen that the head now conforms to a desired generally symmetric shape.
Although effective and useful in the treatment of positional plagiocephaly, such helmets suffer from the problem that they trap heat at the patient's scalp, which can cause the patient to sweat due to the lack of adequate air venting. This can be a particular problem at or near the back of the head. The problem with such sweating is that it can hinder treatment effectiveness, since sweat can make the helmet slippery and thus may decrease the positioning accuracy. Moreover, excessive sweating may also enhance the growth of germs which can make the infant uncomfortable, make the skin irritable, and can result in a generally unhealthy condition. Wearing fewer clothes or using a fan facing the head may work as temporary solutions, but they too can be problematic because they may make the infant prone to catching cold. The use of cooling materials (e.g., ice) is not currently allowed without FDA approval because it may be unsafe. Cooling materials may also be too heavy for the infant's head.
Thus, there is a need for an enhanced design for a ventilated helmet for use in treating positional plagiocephaly. There is also a need for providing a system and method for designing an optimal helmet ventilation configuration based on specific parameters of the individual patient. Additionally, there is a need for a system and method for revising the helmet ventilation design during the treatment period to maintain optimum ventilation for the patient.